Enable full screen anti-aliasing using OpenGL Profiler

Aug 10, '06 09:30:00AM

Contributed by: Anonymous

Here is how you can get full screen anti-aliasing (FSAA) on some 3D video cards that support it in OpenGL apps -- even if the setting isn't available in your app, or isn't supported with the current Apple drivers for your card. This worked for me on an Nvidia Quadro FX 4500.

Install Apple's Xcode Developer Tools, and run OpenGL Profiler.app, which you'll find in /Developer -> Applications -> Graphics Tools. Add the application that you would like FSAA in to the top section of OpenGL Profiler. Check Use custom pixel format and press Edit...

Add a kCGLPFASampleBuffer attribute with a value of 1. Then add a kCGLPFASamples attribute with a value of 2 or 4, depending on how much anti-aliasing you want in that app. Consider how much VRAM you have before choosing a higher value. Make sure you launch the chosen app with the Launch button in OpenGL Profiler or this won't work.

You will have to add the OpenGL code each time you run OpenGL Profiler, but it will remember all of your apps. Using this tip, I can also trigger stereo mode on that card, though I haven't done anything with that yet.

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